When University of Colorado guitar instructor Nicolo Spera was hired in 2011, he spoke to the CU Foundation about his hopes and dreams for an international festival -- with a competition and concerts -- featuring the classical guitar.

"I thought it would take a very long time to put it together," Spera said. "We have a pretty weak conception of the classical guitar in Colorado. My goal is to strengthen the presence of the instrument in our culture and in our music education."

Advertisement

Spera did receive support in his efforts and was surprised by how well the idea was received. He wrote a grant to bring the acclaimed guitar ensemble SoloDuo to CU last year. And that, Spera said, was the impetus for everything to fall into place.

"The appearance of SoloDuo was a huge success, and Grusin Hall was packed," he said. "The way they play together is incredible and very inspiring, and people were spellbound by their artistry."

Another fortuitous coincidence after the duo's performance enabled Spera's dream to come even closer to reality than he had imagined.

"While I was speaking to a couple of supporters about SoloDuo and my dreams for the guitar festival, I found out that Paco Peña was booked to appear on the CU Presents Artist Series. This was the gift I needed to create the competition and the festival."

Peña, one of the two greatest flamenco guitarists active today, performs Thursday at Macky Auditorium. The festival and competition have been built around the existing Artist Series event. As part of the festival, Peña will give a masterclass to the best students from Spera's studio.

"My supporters just loved the idea of spinning his appearance into the festival, and they gave the foundation and the guitar studio enough to have great prizes for an international competition."

The public portion of the festival includes two concerts presented by Spera's distinguished guests. SoloDuo returns to perform at Grusin Music Hall on Friday night. They will also teach studio lessons and present two public masterclasses.

The other guest artist is Adam Levin, whom Spera describes as a great friend and a great representative of new music. Levin's recordings for Naxos records feature new pieces for guitar that were composed specifically for him.

Levin and Spera shared a teacher, Oscar Ghiglia, who founded the guitar festival in Aspen. Levin performs Saturday afternoon at the Old Main Chapel and will also present a masterclass.

But the greatest aspect of the festival, Spera said, is how the community came together to support it. "This sort of collaborative effort is something I haven't seen anywhere else," he said. "It is the community support that has made the competition possible."

The festival culminates in the competition finals, which are part of the public events and take place Saturday night in Grusin Hall.

Forty-one guitarists from around the world are coming to compete, and they are all being hosted by local families.

"I am amazed by the hospitality and the excitement," Spera said. "The entire event will be a great bridge to bring people into the world of classical guitar."

MacIntyre feels Colorado is capable of making run at bowl gameCU BUFFS FALL CAMPWhen: 29 practices beginning Wednesday morning 8:30-11 a.m. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday practices are open to the media and public next week. Full Story

It didn't take long for Denver music observers to notice Plume Varia. Husband and wife Shon and Cherie Cobbs formed the band only two years ago, but after about a year they started finding themselves on best-of lists and playing the scene's top venues. Full Story